Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.

Sometimes it is not the words that hurt but the fact that no-one challenges them.

As a mixed race individual, as part of a multiracial family or as part of the human race, you should refuse to tolerate any kind of racially or ethnically biased remark made in your presence.

This includes remarks about your child's race or ethnic group, other races and ethnic groups, or any other characteristic such as gender, religion, age and physical or other disability.

Make it clear that it is not okay to make fun of people who are different and it is not okay to assume that all people of one group behave the same way.

You can teach your children how to handle these remarks by speaking up and showing that you do not approve. Some replies you could use are...

I find your comment offensive. Please don't say that type of thing again, or

Surely you don't mean to be critical, you just don't have experience with... or

You couldn't be deliberately saying such an inappropriate comment in front of a child. You must mean something else.

Try to combat the remarks while giving the person a chance to back off or change what has been said. This way you will teach your child to stand up to bias without starting a fight - which could put your child at risk. In addition, by being gracious and giving others a chance to overcome their bias/ignorance, you can help to change their beliefs and attitudes over time. Positive exchanges about race will always be more helpful than negative ones.

Could the title of the new Harry Potter cause an increase in racial name calling?
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